Whilst we are looking to finish this season as strongly as possible, a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes for the 2023/24 campaign.
Our new Head of Football Operations Craig Cope is at the heart of planning for next season and he took time out from his busy schedule to take part in a fascinating Q&A, which includes:
- How a new football philosophy will define how we play next season
- How our player recruitment targets are already being lined up
- How a club legend is helping behind the scenes
- How a training ground audit will help prevent another injury nightmare
More than anything else, though, Craig explains why we can all look forward positively to next season.
Craig, your first 100 days at the club has included some pretty horrendous injury and transfer window challenges. How do you look back on the experience?
Despite all the challenges, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. First and foremost, I am all in. I strongly believe in the potential of this club. Yes, we have been dealt some blows – the carpet was pulled from under our feet in January, and the level of injuries to key players has been severe. Any team that experiences its spine getting wiped out is going to find things tough going.
That said, I have been really impressed by everyone’s attitude of ‘let’s roll up our sleeves and get on with it together’. The Club’s unapologetic resilience and togetherness is infectious. That’s what we are and that’s what will drive us forward.
You are very positive and upbeat about next season, but what is driving this?
Every one of us – that’s me, Johnnie, Michael (Hamilton), the staff – have all observed, listened and are now laying the foundations for the future. I am confident we will create a consistent identity on the pitch that really is representative of this club, its history and, most importantly, the fan base.
We are making good progress ahead of the summer in terms of recruitment, infrastructure and pre-season. The work we are doing and the potential results on and off the pitch really excite me.
You say you have listened. What do you believe the fans want to see?
Wimbledon fans want 100 per cent commitment on the pitch every week, and really industrious performances. I look at our recent performance against Walsall, and our home wins against top teams like Orient and Stockport. That’s where we consistently want to be. It has certainly not been for the want of trying recently as the players continue to give everything for the cause. All fans want a team they can be proud of and align themselves with. It’s a massive help if that team is successful as well.
Nobody would argue with any of that Craig – but what plans are in the pipeline to achieve this?
First of all, setting out how we are going to play will immediately allow us to identify targets which best suit us in the summer transfer window.
We’ve had several meetings to plan for the summer and some targets have been identified. We know how important it is to be proactive with our recruitment and deciding on a style of play is allowing us to refine our search.
Myself and the newly-formed recruitment team have covered loads of games both live and through video. Tom Daws and myself have been analysing data to identify players so that we can refine our shortlists.
I am also delighted that we have added two vastly-experienced scouts to our department. Jeff Baskerville comes in to cover the Midlands and South West. His CV includes working at a high level and he also worked with me previously to identify exciting talent across the lower leagues.
And you’ve got a Dons legend on board as well?
Andy Thorn has joined as Chief Scout and that excites me. I was keen to appoint someone with different experiences to myself in order to have a more rounded approach to recruitment. When I met Andy, we both felt we would work well together. He’s an immensely-experienced recruiter having worked for the likes of Celtic, England, Fulham and more. As a former Dons player himself, Andy still has a great passion for the Club and wants to play a massive part in our journey.
It’s fair to say the squad has been devastated recently by injuries to key players. How can this be prevented?
The level of injuries we have sustained this season has undoubtedly hindered the team. In recent weeks we have conducted a thorough audit of the injuries sustained in the last two seasons and the findings have let us highlight a number of key areas for improvement at the training ground.
We are never going to cut out all injuries, but we are confident the changes we are going to make will enable us to prevent the volume of injuries we are currently experiencing.
That’s fascinating – can you explain what the audit revealed?
We know there are some practices around testing and data analysis that can be used to better monitor the players’ physical performances and therefore flag up potential injuries before they happen. In most cases soft-tissue injuries are the most preventable and we can limit these by improving the player-monitoring process, interpreting the data, and structuring our gym programmes differently.
We had a similar scenario at one of my previous clubs. In one season we had 27 soft-tissue injuries. That was costing the club money and the team suffered with players out. I needed to investigate and get recruitment, coaching and performance (medical and science) aligned.
As a result, we managed to get those type of injuries down to eight in 18 months. If we can achieve a similar result here, then I will be very happy. The performance staff have been very proactive and made some really good recommendations based on the findings from the thorough audit they carried out. We are now aligned on the introduction of new practices and processes that will give us the best chance of reducing our injuries in the future.
What about improving our training ground?
There’s no doubt we all love Plough Lane – it’s a fantastic stadium which everyone is proud of - but the training ground is where we spend 90 per cent of our time. It needs to be a hub, an enjoyable environment that promotes hard work and performance. It’s a good base but it needs some love, care and attention.
Maximising the facility will give us the best chance of moving forward next season. It’s important for the staff, and players coming back, to recognise this is a new start. With that in mind, we have started work on a new kitchen and canteen area and we have plans in place for the changing rooms and pitches to be improved.
Can fans and volunteers help with this?
In short – yes! When I arrived, it was explained to me that everything achieved here over the last 21+ years, was a result of the fans refusing to give up and working together. It’s staggering looking around the stadium and thinking about that! I was told about the ‘work weekends’ at the old stadium and the role volunteers played at the training ground. We will need to go again in the summer. I will definitely need volunteers to help me spruce up the entire training ground. So please watch out for more details soon.
How would you best describe your job and what you focus on day by day?
In essence, my role is to work alongside Johnnie Jackson to align the football department and give it direction. There are several aspects to this. My main priority is player recruitment, which occupies most of my time. This includes scouting, watching videos, looking at data, talking to contacts and agents, as well as collecting as much information as possible to put a strong list of players together to support what we are trying to do.
Away from recruitment, I see my role as doing everything I can to maximise our chances of success. That might mean providing everyone with a platform to maximise their performances, or improving the infrastructure so each member of staff and player can come into work knowing they have the appropriate tools to perform.
I am also a big advocate of processes, measuring performance and accountability. We have to compare ourselves against certain metrics or targets to see if we are on track or not. We all know we want to progress this club, that is the overall goal. But what does that look like for each department? What is success for them? What are they accountable for?
How are plans for pre-season taking shape?
Very well. Work on pre-season started as soon as the window shut. The vast majority of the schedule is confirmed and designed for our players and staff to attack a League Two campaign head on.
Finally, what would you to say to fans to make them feel more positive about next season?
I am fully aware that recent times have been tough but I strongly believe in this club and its ability to move forward. The club is home now, back where it belongs and inside a fantastic stadium. We are now looking at building the foundations behind the scenes to ensure the Club is in the best shape to move forward. This will allow us to be proactive and get ahead of the game.
I keep getting told we are already miles ahead in prepping for next season. The recruitment process and team are up and running with targets identified against our agreed profiles, pre-season is getting its final details agreed, work is planned and being conducted at the training ground.
In short, we are getting things moving and pointing in the right direction. It has been great to see the moments this year when the team and fans energised each other. During those times we seemed unbeatable. Obviously, we need to work together to create more moments like that. Whilst in the immediate term, we need to overcome our challenges and finish this season, as strongly as we can. Don’t forget, you can watch Johnnie putting the players through their paces in an open training session at the stadium on 13 April (11 am start). In the longer term, I am excited to see what the future holds!